UCLA
10-7, 3-1
Oregon State
11-4, 3-0
UCLA Drops Decision at Oregon State 79-66
January 13, 2019 | Men's Basketball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Kris Wilkes scored a team-high 21 points as the UCLA men's basketball team lost at Oregon State, 79-66, in a Pac-12 game on Sunday evening in Gill Coliseum.
Wilkes, who has scored at least 10 points in all 17 games for UCLA (10-7, 3-1 Pac-12), scored 18 of his 21 points after halftime.
The lead between Oregon State (11-4, 3-0 Pac-12) and UCLA changed hands multiple times in the second half, before the Beavers used an 11-1 scoring advantage just after the 11-minute mark to secure control of the game.
Prince Ali scored 13 points for the Bruins and Jaylen Hands added 12. Moses Brown pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, including five on the offensive end.
UCLA shot 47 percent in the second half (16 of 34) after having converted just eight of 29 shots in the game's first 20 minutes (27.6 percent).
"Offensively, for us, we just never really got flowing," UCLA interim head coach Murry Bartow said. "I didn't think we got Moses Brown enough touches. Too many perimeter shots, not enough inside-outside action, and we were just a little stagnant. Our transition game really never got going. But again, I give all the credit to Oregon State, or a lot of it. I thought Oregon State's defense had a lot to do with that."
Stephen Thompson Jr. and Ethan Thompson scored 17 points apiece to lead the Beavers. Kylor Kelley and Tres Tinkle each scored 14 points, while Alfred Hollins rounded out their list of double-digit scorers with 11. Kelley was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and added five blocks.
The early minutes of Sunday's game belonged to Kelley, who scored the game's first six points. UCLA's trapping defense proved effective and forced four Beaver turnovers in the opening eight minutes, helping the Bruins to pull even.
Oregon State scored seven straight points, establishing a 26-17 advantage with 5:18 to go, but UCLA limited second-chance opportunities and had multiple trips to the free throw line, allowing the Bruins to remain within striking distance.
Oregon State led UCLA at halftime, 32-26, as Kelley had 12 points before the intermission.
Hands nailed a 3-point shot with 16:03 to play in regulation, capping a 9-0 UCLA scoring run to give the Bruins their first lead of the game, 40-39. The two teams traded the lead five times over the next five minutes, but Oregon State assumed control with a 17-3 scoring burst. That paved the way for the Beavers to secure their first double-digit advantage of the game.
From that point, UCLA never reduced its deficit to any fewer than 11 points.
The Bruins will return to action at crosstown rival USC on Saturday, Jan. 19. Game time at USC's Galen Center is 1 p.m. (PT). The UCLA-USC showdown will be nationally televised on CBS.
